Soul Survivor Watford will be entrusted with helping reignite St Albans churches, less than two years on from the Scolding Review into abuses of power by Mike Pilavachi.
The Diocese of St Albans will put a £2.3m grant, from the Strategic Ministry and Mission Investment Board (SMMIB), into helping its churches become “younger and more diverse”.
The money will go towards church planting, youth work, and creating new leaders for churches in Luton, Watford and Hartfield.
The Diocese of St Albans have stated that Soul Survivor Watford will not benefit financially from the grant, but will be one of multiple churches offering “volunteers, expertise and energy” to smaller congregations.
“Their role is to contribute volunteers, experience, and energy to help local churches thrive as part of our programme of church revitalisation,” the diocese said in a statement.
However, representatives of abuse survivors have heavily criticised the plans. Richard Scorer, a lawyer specialising in church abuse cases, told Premier Christian News that he deems the decision to be unwise: “Whether or not Soul Survivor benefit financially, engaging them effectively in a consultancy role is premature to say the least.”
“The failings which allowed abuse to occur at Soul Survivor and which were exposed in the Scolding report are very recent. Personnel who were working for SS when those failings occurred are still there,” he added. “Given the seriousness of those failings, I would have expected the diocese to wait until a lengthy period of time had elapsed, so that everyone can be satisfied that Soul Survivor’s culture has genuinely changed.”
In April 2023, Premier Christian News first reported on allegations of spiritual abuse by Mike Pilavachi. Since then, the Scolding Review has found the allegations to be true, and recommended that Soul Survivor Watford receive continued supervision over its leadership.
The Diocese, and Soul Survivor Watford, have reaffirmed their commitment to following its recommendations.
“The Scolding Review has shaped plans at Soul Survivor Watford and all mission initiatives, setting a benchmark for governance and safeguarding to ensure a healthy, safer culture going forward,” the diocese said.